Roy Hibbert Fined 75k For Anti-gay Remarks, Profanity

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Indian Pacers center, Roy Hibbert was fined $75,000 on Sunday after he made an anti-gay statement and using profanity when refereeing to the media during a postgame press conference following Game 6 of the Eastern Conference finals.

The anti-gay slur came after being asked about defending Miami Heat’s Lebron James.

“There was what — was it Game 3 here? I really felt that I let Paul down in terms of having his back when LeBron was scoring in the post or getting to the paint, because they stretched me out so much. No homo,” answered Hibbert with a laugh.

His comments towards the media came after a reporter asked him about finishing 10th in the [Defensive] Player of the year voting.

“You know what, because y’all motherf*****s don’t watch us play throughout the year, to tell you the truth. That’s fine. I’m going to be real with you. And I don’t care if I get fined. You know what, we play, we’re not on TV all the time. Reporters are the ones that are voting. And it is what it is. If I don’t make it, that’s fine. I’m still going to do what I have to do.

Hibbert apologized in a statement released by the Pacers for “his choice of words”, just hours after the fine was announced by the NBA .

“I am apologizing for insensitive remarks made during the postgame press conference after our victory over Miami Saturday night,” Hibbert said in the statement released by the Pacers. “They were disrespectful and offensive and not a reflection of my personal views. I used a slang term that is not appropriate in any setting, private or public, and the language I used definitely has no place in a public forum, especially over live television. I apologize to those who I have offended, to our fans and to the Pacers’ organization.”

Despite his apology, NBA commissioner David Stern said in a statement to ESPN that penalizing Hibbert was “necessary to reinforce that such offensive comments will not be tolerated by the NBA”.